The release of Nvidia's GeForce RTX 3080 graphics cards has generally been a disaster. Not only did orders online sell out near-instantly, but Nvidia's own website was targeted by bots and scalpers that led to 3080 Founder's Editions never appearing to go live. It's no coincidence that countless 3080s ended up listed on eBay for outrageous prices, but rather than passively voice their frustrations, some hoping for a new graphics card are taking action.
While there's little that can be done to stop bots and scalpers from purchasing the cards themselves, listings on eBay can be messed with. Some PC enthusiasts are resorting to using false eBay accounts to bid on 3080 auctions and disrupt the card economy. Others are making fake listings to inform potential 3080 buyers about the situation.
One sponsored eBay listing for a "Paper Edition" of the 3080 graphics card is also drawing a lot of attention. It's not for an actual card, of course, but for a photo of one instead. In the profile, it tells eBay users not to purchase it or any other 3080 eBay listing because they're being supplied by scalpers. That someone was willing to pay a fee to get the listing sponsored shows just how angry some individuals are, and the sponsored listing isn't the only "Paper Edition" of the 3080.
Others are creating bots to fight these scalpers' auctions. One person described their bot as creating accounts that will place false bids on all open 3080 eBay auctions. These false bids will then take a significant amount of time to be discovered and canceled, forcing the scalpers to relist their auctions. By that time, cards will hopefully be more widely available, so no one will have to rely on overpriced eBay auctions.
PC enthusiasts "trolling" eBay auctions do not appear to be expressing anger at the retailers who failed to have adequate anti-bot measurements in place. They simply want other PC enthusiasts to have the opportunity to acquire the Nvidia cards they want at an appropriate price.
Despite their efforts, it may be some time before stock of the Nvidia 3080 is available in a large enough quantity that scalpers will be pushed out. Even the release of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 on September 24, and the 3070's release in October, may not be enough. However, Nvidia's 30 Series of cards should eventually proliferate, letting interested buyers hopefully move past this mess.
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 is out now in limited availability.
Source: PC Gamer